Michigan State has long been regarded as one of the top programs in college hockey, even before the success of the current season.

- 3 national championships

- 11 Frozen Four appearances

- 13 conference tournament championships

- 7 conference regular season championships

However, for more than a decade, the Spartans lulled in mediocrity at best, and at worst, were the laughing stock in the Big Ten.

After a remarkable turnaround last season in head coach Adam Nightingale’s first year in charge that resulted in Michigan State being just outside the NCAA Tournament picture, the Spartans built on that during the 2023-2024 campaign.

Not only did the Spartans make the NCAA Tournament, they earned a No. 1 seed, the conference regular season championship and the conference tournament championship. The last time Michigan State accomplished all three of those feats in a season was in 2001, when the Spartans were in the CCHA. They also made the Frozen Four that year.

“It feels great,” captain defenseman Nash Nienhuis said after Michigan State was officially announced as a No. 1-seed. “We put a ton of work in this year. To see how that played out is great.”

While this team is accomplishing things that haven’t happened in East Lansing in over two decades, there is still a hunger in the room and a sense of still having things to accomplish while being proud of what they had already done.

“They were excited,” Nightingale said when the Spartans were officially named a No. 1-seed. “Our group’s pretty even-keel. I think that we know that we gotta have a great week of practice here and we’re playing a really good opponent. You gotta step back too and be proud of that. It’s not easy to do and there’s still a lot of work to be done.”

In the regional semifinal, Michigan State will be going up against Western Michigan in Maryland Heights, Missouri. The Broncos went 21-15-1 this season with an 11-13 record in the NCHC.